Final word on Johnson belongs to Nutt

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

LAS VEGAS -- Derrick Johnson, Arkansas' junior rover, has put his position on the team in jeopardy after having a confrontation with an assistant coach during the Las Vegas Bowl.
Johnson and assistant coach Bill Johnson got into a heated exchange on the sideline during the final minutes of Arkansas' 31-14 loss to UNLV on Thursday night. Teammates had to restrain Johnson, who then was ordered to the locker room by assistant coach Chris Vaughn.
"The one thing I won't have ever is for a player to talk back to a coach," Coach Houston Nutt said Friday. "I won't have that. I don't like dancing on the field and those things."
Derrick Johnson frequently dances and taunts opponents. He's not alone. Receiver Boo Williams was among other players who used expressive body language toward the other team this season.
"But at least he backs it up," Nutt said. "I can live with a little bit of that if he backs it up. But I can't live with a guy who's going to talk back to one of our coaches in the game.
"I'd say just stay tuned to that deal. I'm going to address that when I get back to him."
Nutt said he had not talked to Derrick Johnson as of Friday morning. Most players made their own travel arrangements and dispersed after the game.
Nutt said he'll wait to hear all sides of the story before making a decision.
"It's a pattern," Nutt said. "We've tried to help this young man for a long time, and he doesn't want to be helped. He doesn't want to be part of something that's very special, that's a privilege to be a Razorback."

This article was published on Saturday, December 23, 2000

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